All Francis Crick Institute articles
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NewsRepurposing an abandoned drug may help treat a neglected parasitic infection
Researchers have mapped the human metabolic pathways that Cryptosporidium, an intestinal parasite, requires to survive. Shutting down these pathways may offer a new way to treat patients while avoiding the development of drug resistance.
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NewsSpace Park Leicester developing technology for ultra-clean mini-lab to potentially contain extra-terrestrial samples returned to Earth
Work has begun to design and build a Double-Walled Isolator (DWI), akin to an ultra-clean miniature laboratory, to safely store and analyse extra-terrestrial materials, such as the first material from Mars.
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NewsScientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance
The ‘molecular machine’ flagellum is essential for bacteria to cause infection, allowing bacteria to ‘swim’ around the bloodstream until finding something to infect. But it could also be a target for antibiotics.
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NewsFamily of parasite proteins presents new potential malaria treatment target
Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute and the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) have shown that the evolution of a family of exported proteins in the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum enabled it to infect humans. Source: Ernst Hempelmann Ring stage of Plasmodium falciparum in human red blood ...
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NewsHidden virus harboured by fruit flies may influence experimental accuracy
A new study suggests the presence of Nora virus in laboratory strains of Drosophila fruit flies influences their resilience to stress and bacterial infection and can confound experimental studies of ageing.
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NewsStudy shows how genetic defects in Toxoplasma are rescued by co-infection
Toxoplasma gondii parasites can use secreted factors to compensate for genetic defects in neighbouring parasites, highlighting a limitation of pooled CRISPR screens.
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NewsResearch reveals surprising impact of gut microbiome on hormone levels in mice
Researchers have shown that the balance of bacteria in the gut can influence symptoms of hypopituitarism in mice, and that aspirin was able to improve hormone deficiency symptoms in mice with this condition.
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NewsVaccine monitoring crucial as SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to evolve
Researchers compared the newer monovalent COVID vaccine, which specifically targets the XBB variant of Omicron, with older bivalent vaccines containing a mix of an Omicron variant and the original strain of COVID-19.
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NewsFungus-fighting protein could help overcome severe autoimmune disease and cancer
A protein in the immune system programmed to protect the body from fungal infections is also responsible for exacerbating the severity of certain autoimmune diseases such as irritable bowel disease (IBS) and type 1 diabetes.
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NewsBroccoli molecule could shape immune defense against Cryptosporidium
Researchers have discovered that a common dietary supplement could protect against chronic Cryptosporidium infections which are particularly prevalent in children under two and in areas with poorer sanitation.
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NewsAntiviral drug linked to SARS-CoV-2 mutations
Researchers have uncovered a link between an antiviral drug for COVID-19 infections called molnupiravir and a pattern of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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NewsNanopore technology achieves breakthrough in protein variant detection
Scientists have developed a breakthrough method to detect structural variations on proteins based on nanopore technologies.
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News4,000-year-old plague DNA found – the oldest cases to date in Britain
Researchers have identified three 4,000-year-old British cases of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria causing the plague – the oldest evidence of the plague in Britain to date.